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Bonnet not aligned with front bumper from factory

34K views 85 replies 23 participants last post by  PhilB 
#1 ·
The fleet manager inspected my car the other day and noticed the bonnet on my car was not aligned with the front bumper on the drivers side its about 5-10mm out. she said its around the 4th XE in a row to have this problem, in the last two weeks.

I've taken some pictures to share, but its hard to get an angle that shows it correctly.



 
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#3 ·
Common problem though mine was fine. To be generous it is inexcusable and should have been properly aligned on build and at worst case picked up at PDI Dealership stage. So why not picked up? Only answer is quality a miss.

Frankly exceptionally poor quality standards in todays auto manufacturing world.

I am a massive fan of the XE and love the car. Things like this are though what I'd expect on a £ 8K new car but these days probably wouldn't see it even at that low price.

Heaven knows why Jaguar production line cannot align panels correctly. There was a write-up thread somewhere on this site where someone took the XE factory tour and asked about general panel alignment problems. The response was some nonsense about the XE body and hence panels having allot of curves and so more difficult to align unlike say Audi's where designs are more flat panelled.

Franky a ridiculous response.
 
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#4 ·
for christ sake ... typical shoddy factory QA, should never have been released from the factory .. honestly jaguar will blow it if they are not careful, they are already now started to take hit on the FPACE in the states .. just look at that wing to bonnet alignment
 
#5 ·
I feel your pain Andrew. I had the same issue and thankfully the dealership dealt with it free of charge. It's a pain, but you should expect them to do it for free. There are a number of points of adjustment to align it. Most likely it won't be 100% though. A master engineer had it for 2 hours and he said that he has done loads of those and they can never be 100%. He even apologised in behalf of Jaguar - as he said, out of embarrassment. Especially since he has seen so many now as such.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for highlighting this problem, it is certainly something I will check on collection next week.

Are there any other issues I should particularly look out for?
 
#7 ·
Old Rascal - as you have the Sport you are taking delivery of (I have the Sport) Jaguar production line were incapable of aligning up the side skirts - they were too far back on mine by some 1/4''- the prior owner had to get the dealer to fix and again that was post Dealer PDI check! The side skirt's not aligning was or still maybe is a common alignment issue on the Sport model. They can be aligned but it seems the Jaguar factory just 'slapped them on'. This was or still is a common issue.

Again, I love the car but these panel alignment issues are unforgiveable - we are not any longer 1970's and British Leyland Morris Marina / Alegro and Princess et-alia days!! and Jaguar is a premium brand apparently.......
 
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#8 ·
Not the bonnet on mine, however as well as the boot marking the rear bumper my boot is out of alignment on the nearside near the rear window, raised and a much wider gap than the offside. Quite obvious whe you look for it but on first check around a car at the dealers not that obvious, I find washing a car then leathering it off is the best way of finding these problems along with new scrapes and scratches obtained in car parks.

It should not get past factory control then dealer control.

I am going to ask them to try and sort it when it is in to fix the bumper marking problem, however I suspect this will prove more difficult to adjust than the bonnet.

I was told at the dealer that the bonnets and bumpers are hand fitted rather than robot assembly, if that's true then maybe that is the root problem.

Cheers
 
#9 ·
DavidW - if hand fitted re bonnet / boot then it should be even better than a robot! Jaguar must have some shakey hands assembling these parts then - they'd better never apply to Rolls-Royce cars or Bentley cars or in fact any other car manufacturer for an assembly job!
 
#12 ·
I believe it was member CRS (I could be wrong) who wrote up his own adjustment procedure. Even though mine looked *okay* from the factory, I used it and was able to tighten the gap and even it up further. It is a simply matter of loosening the bolts that hold the fascia on under the leading edge of the hood, pushing the bumper rearward (I used my knee), and re-tightening the fasteners.
 
#13 ·
Thank you for highlighting these issues. As with all cars, I expected a few technical issues with some vehicles, but panels not being aligned really surprised me. Some of the photos on here are unacceptable for a car like Jaguar or any new car really.

It looks like I will have to really check it over! So far bonnet, boot and side skirts have been highlighted. In fact, I will call into the dealers this week and let them know it is something I will be checking on handover next week.
 
#16 ·
Late for tea is this the thread you are referring to? i can see you commenting on there? http://www.xeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3427&start=10#wrap

Do you literally just have to loosen the 8mm nuts under the bonnet, then push the front bumper in and tighten?

If its that easy i'm tempted to have a go myself, would you recommend DIY or just booking it in the dealers?
 
#17 ·
Andrewi said:
Late for tea is this the thread you are referring to? i can see you commenting on there? http://www.xeforums.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3427&start=10#wrap

Do you literally just have to loosen the 8mm nuts under the bonnet, then push the front bumper in and tighten?

If its that easy i'm tempted to have a go myself, would you recommend DIY or just booking it in the dealers?
Yup, that's the one ... and yes, it really is that simple ;) . I'm not sure you could hurt much. If you're not confident with this sort of thing then let the dealer do it but it is redoable as many times as you like. I had 3 goes before it sat the way I wanted and you want to make sure the hood will close without issue. I adjusted a little at a time and did not really torque the bolts down .... Just enough to hold it in place and close the hood to have a look.
When you are happy apply final torque. Also completely reversible if you try and then decide you may be better off with professional help :lol: .

[ edit ]

Sorry, I gave credit to the wrong member. It was xeprestige180 who posted the valuable info. Just too lazy to go and look for the thread .... but since you did I all the legwork for me :cool: ...
 
#18 ·
Andrewi said:
bugsrunner said:
I have the same. But noticed too late!
How did you notice too late?!
I live in Italy, on the Island of Sardinia.
I collected the car from a dealer on the main land and did not see it.

When i noticed it one month was past and my local service said it could be done by a small bump. Would cost me more to go the the seller to have it fixed than to fix it myself
 
#19 ·
Hey Bugsrunner, your dealer isn't worthy of the name Jaguar, or of doing any business at all, really. My car had a number of external and internal body panel issues, which I hadn't seen on delivery. Because on that same day, we left for a 2 week vacation / roadtrip. When I returned, I went back to my dealer and he sorted all the issues, without complaining.
The warranty should cover this kind of misfits, even if they would have been caused by bumpy roads.
 
#21 ·
So update!

I tried to get booked in at Nottingham Jaguar in the UK but they kept insisting they would phone me back...... in the end i actually had the Engine transmission/emissions light come on so phone jaguar assistance direct. They sent a jaguar technician out this morning who informed me there is a bug with the current software, he has a flashed it with a new version however this is a interim patch as jaguar will be calling my car in for another patch later next year as its still being investigated. I'm advised if this comes up again to ignore it.

In regards to the bumper i pointed it out and he said it it hadn't been tightened up properly, i watched him literally just tighten up the plastic black bolts at the top of the front bumper and it pulled it right back into place. i would suggest to anyone you just try tightening the nuts up as its now lined up perfectly!

Whist writing this i've just had a missed call from Nottingham jaguar, bit late....!
 
#22 ·
Well done, Andrewi. Now enjoy your XE :).
 
#23 ·
I had that problem but with the boot. There was a distinct difference in the gap between the boot and the wings. The bad alignment was causing the bottom edge of the boot to scrape the bumper on the near side. Vehicle had to go in to get realigned and bodywork sorted Dealer said it was a common problem
 
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#24 ·
Rovermites said:
I had that problem but with the boot. There was a distinct difference in the gap between the boot and the wings. The bad alignment was causing the bottom edge of the boot to scrape the bumper on the near side. Vehicle had to go in to get realigned and bodywork sorted Dealer said it was a common problem
that's the problem ... it's a common problem ! if it's so common then Jaguar need to wake up and smell the coffee and make sure it's not a bloody common issue and sort it at the factory .. its called QA quality control procedures ... check the car before it leaves the factory

really annoys me when I read all these poor quality issues , SET THE SCENE .... Car just been built .. obvious panel gaps ... QA test employee says that's all right sign it off . .what do I care, will take months to filter back to Jaguar ***k erm
 
#25 ·
Just like Kaspa puts it.

This is my view:

Great car, great looks, great drive....

Definitively unacceptable all these bodywork alignment issues. This is basic stuff, basic checking, basic quality assurance on production line. This is a premium brand and bodywork shut lines and alignment of boot, bumpers is not a common problem these days on ANY make of car ....even on cheap cars - so why is Jaguar having such an issue on an ongoing consistent basis?
 
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#26 ·
HARRIER said:
Just like Kaspa puts it.

This is my view:

Great car, great looks, great drive....

Definitively unacceptable all these bodywork alignment issues. This is basic stuff, basic checking, basic quality assurance on production line. Heaven's above it's frankly an embarrassment for Jaguar - sort this ridiculous quality issue out. This is a premium brand and bodywork shut lines and alignment of boot, bumpers is not a common problem these days on ANY make of car ....even on cheap cars - so why is Jaguar having such an issue on an ongoing consistent basis?
its having a problem due to poor leadership (posh word for management?) and crap employees who could not give a shit .. there said it now :|
 
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